Emergent reader help, PLEASE.

[Tabrett]

My dd is in 1st grade doing LHFHG left side and BLHFHG right side. She is an older 1st grader (will be 7 in October). Everything is going fine except reading. We have been working on phonics since she was 3. She has to be constantly reminded of what the phonograms say even though we have been working on them for over 2 years. If I write a word she is trying to sound out on a chalkboard and separate out the sounds, she can sound out a word, but she can't do this looking at text while reading. I am getting very frustrated with her reading. I chose the easier Early Readers Bible and it is painful! I just don't know what to do. I don't want to do another phonics program! We went halfway thorough Phonics Pathways and stopped. We completed the phonics portion of MFW 1st grade (up to where the phonics stopped and you were to just keep reading the reader). The reader was just too hard at this point. Then we completed CLE LTR (the first semester of CLE's 1st grade program). This means we have done 3 phonics programs! I just can't suffer through another. What should I do? Should I try to do the Emergent reader set at half speed? Try yet another phonics program? It there a "I've already done phonics" program that just reviews the phonograms and tries to build fluency?

Yes and yes....she has reversals, bad handwriting.... pretty much the signs of dyslexia, but it is visual not aural type of dyslexia. Flash cards are a joke! She doesn’t learn anything from them. No speech problems. If she hears the separate sounds of a word, then she is able to push the sound together and easily say what the word is. It is trying to get her to LOOK at text and say the sounds. It is almost like she refuses to do this unless I write it on the chalk board and even then she doesn’t remember the word the next time she sees it. The word has to be repeated about 5 times in the text before she recognizes what it says. The next day we have to start all over with the word.

Any advice?

[momofabcd]

Have you gotten her eyes checked by a behavioral optomotrist? It may be an eye problem, and she may need vision therapy. Just a thought.
There is also a site called wowzabrain.com. I listened to the lady speak at our homeschool convention. Her program is supposed to help dc gain fluency.

[Tree House Academy]

Gosh, I think I would probably just go get her some of the Level 1 and Level 2 readers and let her practice, practice, practice. My ds started last year (1st grade) reading CVCC words and sounding out about every third word and ended the year reading at a 4th grade level. All we did was read, read, read, read. We started the emerging readers and had to stop them...now we are beyond them. Maybe it just hasn't quite "clicked" with your dd yet.

[my3sons]

Well, the fact that she can sound words out in isolation makes me think that it's more of a struggle when it's all in a sentence in a book. I'd take a break from the Emerging Reader's Set for a bit. A couple things you could do - you could do The Reading Lesson and computer CD, which is a no frills phonics program that is super easy to teach, has no prep, and suggests a pacing of 3+ pages a day for older dc (I believe), meaning you'd get through it probably halfway into the year. I think that may be worth it! Carrie's comments may be helpful at this link:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2503

Here is another link that may be an encouragement:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5541

What about trying the BOB books? Those are short, inexpensive, and fun! They are available at any major book store. For many dc, the third phonics program is the charm. This is not so uncommon. With going halfway through Phonics Pathways, almost all of MFW phonics, and the first semester of CLE, you could just add one more semester of completing all of The Reading Lesson and hit the 3 year mark. You could add BOB books and first level readers, and you could finish out the year with the first part of the Emerging Reader's Set. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I think it would be worth it, and a very painless way to go about it, as I've heard only great praise for The Reading Lesson, for its ease of use and for its results.

In Christ,
Julie

[pjdobro]

I just want to encourage you to hang in there! It took my son what seemed like forever for things to "click" and him to be able to blend the sounds. We continued to practice using BOB books, some early Abeka readers, and other early beginning readers for quite a while until one day something seemed to gel for him. It was almost like a switch was flipped. It was still painfully slow for him reading at first, but he was getting it. It was at that point that we went onto the emerging readers. It was slow at first, but by the time we had finished the emerging readers, he was reading at a decent pace and doing well. I would look into the vision problem and try the other suggestions as well, but it may be that it will just take more time before reading gets easier for your dd. I know it's difficult, but keep plodding along. Someday the will come on and she'll take off reading!